Ashley Eli receiving her award at the Homecoming foodball game, November 8th

Alpha Female

November 21, 2014

ISE junior Ashley Eli takes her rightful place as the 2014 Leader of the Pack

The ISE department congratulates junior Ashley Eli for being the 2014 winner of NC State’s prestigious “Leader of the Pack” award. She received the award at this year’s Homecoming football game on Nov. 8th. Eli also received a $2,000 university scholarship. Eli, from Mansfield, TX, is a junior forward on the Wolfpack women’s basketball team. She is the first College of Engineering student athlete in history to receive the honor.

The award recognizes students who contribute to NC State in the areas of leadership, scholarship and community service. “I am passionate about working with kids in the community,” Eli said. “I especially like to visit the elementary schools in the area.” To be eligible for the Leader of the Pack scholarship, candidates must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and exemplary academic integrity. GPA, a personal interview, extracurricular activities, a written essays were all criteria for selection. And if that wasn’t enough, a student-body vote was part of the selection process as well. “My campaign strategy was to get out there and talk to students,” said Eli. “A couple of my teammates and I handed out lollipops all over campus and encouraged people to vote. It was fun to get out there and talk with my fellow students.” Eli won the top honor based on a cumulative score from all phases of the process. “I want to say thank you for all the support from everyone who voted for me and everyone who believed in me,” Eli said. “I want to thank all the athletic staff, our academic advisors, my coaches, my teammates and my parents. I’ve had so much support here, and I’ve had such a great experience at NC State.”

ISE is proud of Eli’s accomplishment and wishes her the best of luck in her future academic pursuits as well as on the basketball court.